07.07.20
NHS Providers publish guide into NHS digital leadership
As part of efforts to help trust leaders build on the momentum achieved during the coronavirus pandemic and support NHS board lead their organisations forward in terms of digitisation, NHS Providers has published a new guide into NHS digital leadership.
The guide, A new era of digital leadership, has been jointly prepared by NHS Providers and a digital transformation consultancy partner as part of the new Digital Boards programme, supported by Health Education England.
Including a number of board-level case studies, as well as key Covid-19 reflections and lessons learnt from other sectors, the guide sets out useful questions for board leaders reflecting on their own digital leadership:
- Does the trust have a shared understanding of what 'digital' means that goes beyond IT?
- Can you explain which areas you chose not to focus on in your digital strategy, and how you made these decisions?
- Does the trust's leadership take collective responsibility for the digital agenda, as it does for quality and finance?
- Does the trust have a shared commitment and vision for digitally-enabled health and care across its STP or ICS? Is the trust clear on the system’s investment priorities?
- Are teams in the trust empowered to experiment with new ways of working, and is the organisation well placed to scale up innovation when it succeeds?
The deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery, said: "We know COVID-19 has accelerated digital ways of working across the NHS. Trusts have made huge progress in a relatively short space of time, be it rolling out virtual consultations or adapting existing approaches to support clinical reconfiguration.
"We have also seen discussions about digital issues elevated within NHS board rooms. As we look to the next phase of the COVID-19 response and beyond, trust leaders want to build on their successes, lock in the learning of COVID-19, and sustain their new ways of working.
"Our guide, jointly prepared with Public Digital and supported by Health Education England, aims to help trust leaders build on this momentum and support them to lead their organisations into the next stage of digitisation. The publication explores the pre-conditions for success in digital transformation as well as lessons from other sectors
"We look forward to extending our support to trusts as we continue to roll out our Digital Boards programme over the coming weeks and months."